100 Days and Counting
by A3shFaerie
Summary: have you ever wondered how to fall in love with a pirate? no? well i'll show you how in this story containing Legal Drug, xxxHolic, and Tsubasa Chronicle. pairs: RikuoxKazahaya RikHaya? , KuroFai, DouWata, SyaoSaku, implied pairs: lots - - ...better summary inside... rated T cuz i believe that stuff should be private. AU. please review!
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary**_

_**Have you ever wondered how to fall in love with a pirate? no? well i'll show you how in this story containing Legal Drug, xxxHolic, and Tsubasa Chronicle. pairs: RikuoxKazahaya (RikHaya?), KuroFai, DouWata, SyaoSaku, implied pairs: MukofujiwaraxNayuki (MukoNay lol like Mokona xDD), KamuixFuuma (KaFu XDDD hahaha), SeishiroxSubaru (SeiSub xD i wasn't aware SubWay had such a thing xD)**_

_**how will our favorites characters cope with new things headed their way? Relationships will be tested, friendships will be made, and people will be saved. How long will it take for them to fall in love? There's 100 days and counting to tell this tale.**_

Ch 1

**A/N: ~*~ means the next day or a change of scene. ~x*x*x*~ means end/start of chapter or a change in POV. Italicized is a memory/flashback or whispering/mouthing or emphasis xD **

**Summary kinda sucked, but oh well. enough rambling.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

~x*x*x*~

Watanuki sat quietly at the bar. His dark sunglasses covered most of his face. He and Himawari had humorously called them his "blind-man glasses". The worn wood was smooth beneath his palms. He'd come here today hoping to get comfort from his dear friend Himawari. After what Yuuko had told him, he needed it. He sighed deeply, thinking back to it.

_Watanuki opened the shop door and stepped inside. The glasses he wore were unnecessary in this place, and if he didn't need them he figured there was absolutely no point in wearing them, so he took them off._

"_Watanuki, come here."_

_Naturally, Watanuki balked at this. It was rather unexpected._

"_I'm going to read your palm," She supplied, noticing the expression on his face._

"_For free?" He asked suspicious._

"_Yes, now shut up before I DO charge you," she grinned maliciously._

_Watanuki gulped and obeyed. After a while he asked, "What do you see?"_

"_Deep gold holds your soul."_

_A sweat drop rolled down his head. "H-huh?"_

"_Your string," she explained, "is connected to gold."_

"_My…string." He said dumbly._

"_The red string of fate, dummy. What did you think I meant?"_

_Watanuki laughed nervously, "N-nothing, Yuuko-san…so, lemme get this straight: I'm gonna be rich?"_

_Yuuko laughed, "No, no, no. Your soul mate has gold eyes."_

"_I'm pretty sure that's impossible, but ok."_

_Yuuko threw her head back and laughed harder, as if knowing something Watanuki was completely unaware of._

"_Oh. And Watanuki?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Beware. For this love shall catch you unawares." _

"_I really hate it when you talk mysteriously like that, Yuuko-san."_

_She chuckled, but then became serious, "At the most unlikely moment you will meet this person, Watanuki, without even knowing it. When you do realize, I hope you will consider it precious and make the person know of your feelings. If you don't…they'll be taken away by another."_

_Watanuki sat solemnly, staring at her for what seemed like an endless amount of time. "And…if I do…will I leave this person behind?" He asked carefully._

_Yuuko looked at him sadly, but then grinned widely, "If you want to know you'll have to pay me, Watanuki," she chirped._

_Watanuki groaned and got up. "You always withhold the most important part!" He complained._

_Yuuko laughed. "Lunch, Watanuki! Chop, chop!"_

"_Ha-ha, very funny, Yuuko-san."_

_She smiled, "I'll have—" and she went off naming fancy dishes for him to prepare._

Watanuki cut the memory short right there. Any more and he'd grow irritated again.

The bell on the door to the bar jingled, and suddenly the whole room went quiet. Watanuki looked up at Himawari, eyes curious.

"_Pirates," _she mouthed.

His eyes widened below the shades. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, considering the fact that this _was_ a portside city. But it was small and generally didn't attract the pirate public, or any public, for that matter.

He heard the pirates shuffle loudly into their seats; a table that wasn't too far from him. Great, he muttered to himself, more people to pick on the poor blind man. Who, I might add, wasn't actually blind. In fact, he probably saw more than these people ever would.

Once the pirates started up their own conversation, the other folks in the tavern spoke again as well.

"What can I get for you, gentlemen?" Watanuki heard Himawari ask.

He sipped at his saké, and very nearly spit it out when he heard someone ask for the local saké. It took him by surprise, only locals—or friends of locals—would know about their signature drink. This seemed to startle Himawari as well, but she recovered quickly.

"Right away, sir, is there anything else?"

The other pirates piped up, apparently wanting beer, and Himawari took down their orders. He doubted anyone, even remotely, guessed that he owned the place. Him being a "blind man", after all, he was considered to be an invalid.

Invalids weren't supposed to be rich, or popular, or whatever else fancied those biased tongues. He didn't mind, he supposed. It meant being left alone, for the most part, except for the occasional bullying. It also meant that no one paid him much attention and he could go wherever he wanted.

His reputation was that he was a blind man who could remember anything, and that's why he didn't have a cane. Luckily for him, when he dawned the shades an unexpected occurrence happened. His sight of the supernatural lessened severely, to the point where he could only see the huge, nasty, and powerful ones: the bosses.

A drunken man shambled over to the pirates' table and spoke with such slur, that the pirated had to strain to understand him.

"You pirates, have done good on this town," the man hiccupped, "you've managed to find the best damn saké in the whole world." The man chuckled. (Note: as you can imagine, the man didn't really speak quite that clearly, so I've spared you and made it coherent.)

The pirates guffawed, ultimately agreeing with the drunken man.

"Hey, old man, who's the feller up at the bar?" One rude pirate wanted to know.

"The bar…oh…don't need ta concern yerself wit' him, boys! That sonny is as blind as a mole rat," the man laughed.

The pirates sniggered. "Why don't he have a cane, old yeller?"

"That's 'cause they say he's got the best memory in the area, he remembers the ways to go even if he can't see no more."

Watanuki bristled. Honestly. He was "blind", for crying out loud! Not _deaf_. He could hear every word these brutes were saying.

"So, he hasn't always been blind?" The voice that ordered saké asked.

"Nobody really knows. He came in here one day, so the rumors go, with bandages around his eyes," the man chortled, "me thinks he was in a fight or a holdup!"

The pirates _hmm_ed and _ah_ed.

Watanuki shrugged mentally. The bandage part was true, at least. By then, Watanuki had long since finished his saké. He got up, his "blind-man" act on full blast. He called out to Himawari, "Goodbye, Himawari-chan~!" He smiled.

She waved, giving him a big smile, "Bye! See you later! Oh, and make sure to stop by Kohane-chan's place…she's worried about you."

Watanuki gave a small smile, meant only for her, and said cheerily, "Of course. Good day."

"Careful on your way back."

"Well, you know me, I can't seem to stay out of trouble," Hiro said lightly.

Himawari giggled, "That's true! Anyways, bye-bye!"

A loud "thump" sounded behind him. He sighed. Attempting to trip blind people, eh? How low could you get?

He ignored it, though, "See you later," he joked. Himawari got it and waved again, before turning back to her customers.

He turned to leave as well, but before he left…

He stopped deliberately in front of the foot that was stuck out. "Sir, you do realize I can hear, right? Your boots must be quite heavy. Excuse me." Watanuki stepped over the boot and walked out of his tavern.

Once he was far enough away, he dodged into an alley and laughed until his sides hurt. The looks on their faces were _priceless_. He decided that that was the best day he'd had in years. He settled down, eventually, and then went home.

~x*x*x*~

Rikuo was laughing so hard at the blind-man's jab, that his friend turned bright red.

"Shut up, Himura. And you too, Doumeki, wipe that patronizing smirk off yer face."

Syaoran seemed to be getting a kick out of it, too.

"Hush it, cabin boy."

" But, Kurogane…"

"Kurogane can do what he wants."

"Even if that means laughing at you, cap?" Syaoran asked.

Captain F. Hendricks considered this. "So long as he doesn't start—"

Kurogane held his sides and pounded a fist on the table, trying very hard not to show just how hard he was laughing. Then, he snorted.

"—snorting," the captain finished. "Ku-ro-ga-ne."

Kurogane looked up, tears in his eyes. He froze.

The captain's face was beet red from anger. "I WILL NOT BE RIDICULED!" He roared.

This made the whole tavern turn to stare at the group, and then erupt in a frenzy of laughter.

"I'll find that blind-man if it's the last thing I do," he whispered menacingly.

~x*x*x*~

The next day Watanuki was staring, troubled, at a full-length mirror.

"Fai-san, would you come here, please?" Watanuki called.

The blonde magician was there in moments. "Yes?" He inquired pleasantly.

"Could you 'transform' me, please?"

"Sure. What color this time, boss?" Fai chuckled. Though, he already knew the answer. It was a little joke between them, and they took pleasure in making the most of it.

"Hmm…red hair, I think, and how about dark brown eyes?"

"Sounds promising, I'll do my best." Fai twirled his fingers and muttered a few foreign words that sounded strangely musical, and voila Watanuki's hair was red and his eyes were brown.

Fai stood behind him and worked Watanuki's fine hair into a short ponytail. Watanuki admired the handiwork in a mirror. "Add a little muscle, would you?"

Fai laughed, "Of course."

Watanuki became buff, he snorted at the word, and a new man. It was his disguise as the bar owner. Himawari knew of it, and so did all his other employees: Yuui, Sakura, Nayuki, Mukofujiwara, Subaru, and Kamui. His suppliers: Seishiro and Fuuma, however, had no idea. Then again, neither did any of his regulars.

He took the last part of his first name: Hiro, and made it part of his pseudonym: Hiro Watanabe (or, if you're in Japan: Watanabe Hiro). The tavern he owned was also an inn, used mostly for the drunks who drank till they dropped. It's also reasonable to say that a fair number of them went by the drugstore across the street. Needless to say, it made the two places compatible business partners.

Hiro and Fai walked down the cobblestone road down to the tavern. It was five o'clock sharp. Drinking hour, also happy hour at his place.

"So, I heard an interesting story," Fai said.

"Did you now?" Hiro asked sarcastically.

"Yes, yes, I did. I heard that you mocked a pirate yesterday."

Hiro smirked darkly, "I did. It was quite amusing."

"I'd pay a fortune to see it."

Hiro snickered, "It was probably worth it. Those faces were _priceless_."

Fai smiled heartily, "You think they'll be there again?"

"The pirates? With out a doubt. They'll be there all right. Those types don't like to be made fun of."

"Hear, hear."

Hiro shook his head at the comment. They arrived at the tavern. He walked in.

"Owner!" Himawari called out.

Everyone immediately turned to stare. The old regulars—or loyaltists—didn't, though. They'd seen him before. These new regulars, however…this was their first time even _hearing_ about the owner.

"Hello, Himawari-chan. Where's Sakura-chan?"

"In the back. A new shipment just came in."

"Ah. Are Seishiro-san and Fuuma-san still here?"

Himawari shook her head, "Nope, they just left."

Fai was busy staring at the pirates, and Hiro noticed.

"That one's cute," Fai whispered to Hiro, pointing.

Hiro elbowed Fai in the ribs.

"What? It's true. He looks fun…"

"Oh, dear, have mercy on that poor soul."

Fai laughed, genuinely, a lovely tinkling sound. "You kill me, Hiro-san."

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Play nice, Fai-san."

"Is that permission?" Fai waggled his eyebrows, "I'll take it."

With that, Fai was off to torment the poor tall man with spiky black hair and red eyes.

Hiro prayed for the man and then set about his business checking on the chef, testing the food, surveying the customers, and supervising his employees. Once he finished that, he decided to bartend for a little while. That was when the captain of the pirates approached him.

"Hullo, mate."

Hiro raised an eyebrow, and nodded his hello. He was occupied cleaning a drinking glass.

"What can I do for you?"

"Well, chum, you see yesterday my crew and I were here and there was a very rude customer that did us bad, ye see?"

"Rude?"

"A blind feller. Wore dark clothes."

"Ah…yes. Him. And?"

"We'd like you to…ban him from the bar."

"Sorry, sir, but that man isn't ban-material."

"What do ya mean, mate?"

"He's loyal, see. Been with me since I opened the store. Good friend of mine, too. I couldn't possibly ban him, _mate_."

"I could pay ya?"

"Can't buy me. I'm not that kind of guy."

"Alright, then. How bout you tell me where he lives?"

"So you can rough him up? I don't think so."

The pirate cursed. "Fine. We'll leave your pal alone. In exchange…"

Oh, boy, here it comes.

"I'd like you to tell me what's the deal with that punk. And, I'd like information."

"Info? On what?"

"Gimme what I want, first. Then we'll talk."

"When do you want to talk, cap?"

"Tomorrow."

Hiro grinned. It would mean coming in an extra day as "boss", but he didn't mind.

The rest of the day progressed slowly. It was well after eleven, and the pirates were still there. Hiro had to wonder if by "tomorrow", he'd meant at midnight. That was odd. He closed the store at midnight after all.

Many of the pirates were very, very drunk. Only three looked to be sober and that was the captain, a fellow with short black hair, and the same guy who had entertained Fai for most of the afternoon. Fai, who was passed out in a room upstairs and had left him to deal with the drunks by himself.

"Yo, pirates, I'm closin' up soon. If you want a room, speak now or leave."

The captain looked at him evenly. "We'll take a couple of rooms, owner-san."

"Alright, then." Hiro came from behind the bar and walked to the door. He locked it, and then checked it to make sure it was, indeed, locked.

Hiro was about to make his way upstairs when the captain told him to wait.

He leaned on the banister, his hand under his chin. "Yes?"

"How about we have that talk now."

Hiro smirked. What a truly peculiar pirate. "Certainly."

~x*x*x*~

**A/N:**

**Hmm…you know. I'm starting to think that aside from chronic angst and long paragraph-itis (wordage is courtesy of quickand2thepointless xD) I have lots-of-dialogue-osis. *sigh* so how you guys like it~? Review ^^ (so that I know I should continue this)**

**I kind of added my own twist to their personalities…I mean it IS an AU after all…they should be at least SLIGHTLY different. I was thinking that this AU was a mix between our own modern world (with clamp-style thrown in [geez I'm makin em sound like noodles LOL] of course. Hehe it's like an ultimate crossover.) and one piece. What do you guys think?**

**and yes. i did give Subaru a good life. a happy one. Seishiro isn't evil...Hokuto is alive (she works at a clothing store but I'll get back to that later). I'd say poor Subaru deserves it, and so i gave it too him. He might as well be happy in at least ONE world, right?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: you guys are probably gonna hate me for saying this…but…LOL I'm sorry…I'd written this chapter back with ch. 1….hahahhaha…don't kill me! but, thanks to a certain reviewer (Skysword) ;) i decided to post this.**

**Updates updates…let's talk about updates.  
so bottom line is Floral Slumber I probably won't be updating for a while.  
One Last Time…eh…no excuse. I'm just lazy :3  
My Last Hour…hrm…I don't even know. soon, though. i promise. SOON.**

**~*~ means the next day or a change of scene. ~x*x*x*~ means end/start of chapter or a change in POV. Italicized is a memory/flashback or whispering/mouthing or emphasis xD**

~x*x*x*~**  
**

Hiro was back behind the bar, leaning against the shelves and the three pirates sat on the stools.

"So, tell me about that blind man."

"I take it these two will be listening as well?"

"Damn straight."

"Alright, then. Where would you like me to begin?"

The shorthaired man spoke, "How'd he lose his sight?"

"Ah, a good place to start. But, before that…I should think I'd like to hear your names."

"Doumeki," the shorthaired one replied.

"Kurogane." The entertainer supplied.

"Captain F. Hendricks. You can call me Rocky."

"Watanabe."

"Well, Watanabe-san. If you'd be so kind…" Rocky trailed off.

Hiro closed his eyes. "Well, he lost his sight due to an unfortunate accident with scalding water. Luckily, I was there with him, and able to assist with the burns. Otherwise, I fear his face would not be so… unmarked."

"That's it?"

Hiro glared icily at Kurogane. "Haven't you learned not to interrupt a story? Anyways, no, that's no 'it'. The water was thrown on him. Deliberately. By an abusive mother—the mother is not his, no, but was the mother of a dear friend of his and mine—she was quite emotionally unstable at the time."

"So what's this guy's name? The blind-man's, I mean." Rocky asked.

Hiro smiled. "Never mention names in a story. Let's call him BM, shall we? BM was at this friend's house, giving her a lunch he'd made for her, when the mother came in and saw us eating. She got angry, grabbed the thermos, and threw it on his face. His injuries were visible for a week, his eyes…well. The doctors were optimistic, but his eyes didn't heal. He went blind. It was a while before we even knew he was blind, though. I apologize, if he was rude to you, but you must be at least a little understanding."

"I am. Is the rumor about his memory true?" Rocky wondered.

"Well, perhaps a little bit. After he went blind, we all helped him around town, and after a while I suppose he just knew the way. He knew his way around when he wasn't blind, after all."

"Hmm…" Rocky sat deep in thought.

"Is that all you wanted to know?"

"About your friend, yes. But now…I need that information."

"I can't tell you anything if I don't know what you need."

Rocky regarded Hiro very carefully. "Can I trust you?"

"I'm good with secrets," came the reply.

"We're looking for some people."

"Like who?"

"A Miss Tsukiko, a Miss Tomoyo, Syaoran's brother, a Mr. Kudo, and the Hunter Brothers."

"Syaoran's brother? I don't think I know a Syaoran."

"Our cabin boy. He's been looking for his twin brother and parents ever since they were separated many years ago."

"What's this boy's last name?"

"Li."

Hiro paled at this. His parents had had that name, but he adorned an alias when his parents died, giving him the fake name.

"H-how old is he?" He said, his voice shaking slightly.

The pirates seemed surprised at the change in personality, but were also excited. They might just have found a lead.

"20."

Hiro exhaled and asked, "When's his birthday?"

"April 1st."

Hiro's eyes widened. Then, he laughed.

"Hot damn. Never thought I'd see the day when those two were reunited."

"You know his brother?" Rocky asked urgently.

"Oh, I know him. So do you. You met him earlier," he told Rocky and laughed.

Rocky looked confused, "Earlier?"

Hiro smirked, "He's the blind man."

Rocky, and the other two men's, eyes bulged out of their sockets. Kurogane (Doumeki smirked) laughed heartily.

"I thought he acted a lot like Syaoran!" Kurogane guffawed.

Rocky was still in shock. "Are you serious?"

"Oh yeah, I'm serious." The tavern-keeper grinned.

"When will he be at the bar again?"

"Who knows? He only comes in once or twice a week."

"I see…" Rocky's face fell.

"He'll probably be in tomorrow, though. He has a tendency of coming in when I'm not watching the place."

"That so?" Rocky said disinterested.

"About this Miss Tomoyo…she wouldn't happen to have long black hair, would she?"

Kurogane snapped to attention and stared Hiro right in the eye. "Yeah. She does."

"In that case…you might want to check out the drugstore across the street. They also have a killer medicine that works wonders on hangovers."

"They still open?" Kurogane wanted to know.

"If you find her, you didn't hear it from me, okay?" Hiro winked.

That was all Kurogane needed and he was out the door, which was locked. Hiro threw him a spare store key. He caught it with ease and when he got the door open he practically sprinted across the street.

Doumeki blinked, "What about Tsukiko-san? Or Kudo?"

"The former is in the same place Tomoyo-chan is. The latter…" Hiro frowned.

"What about Kazahaya?"

Hiro turned to see another dark-haired man coming down the steps.

"Himura!" The captain exclaimed.

"Himura-san…Kudo-kun…" Hiro wrinkled his brow.

"Where is he?" Rikuo demanded.

"Come here. You're going to want to sit down."

Hiro tried to gently explain Kazahaya's condition, but Rikuo refused to believe it. So, Hiro did the only thing he could and gave Rikuo the address to the hospital. Rikuo stared at it with such loathing and disbelief that Hiro pitied him.

"Since you so happened to know every single person we were looking for, I'm assuming you at least know the Hunter Brothers." Rocky inquired, suspicious.

Hiro smirked at that, "I'm afraid they're no longer in that kind of work anymore. You don't have to worry about them chasing you. I'm sure you've at least suspected."

"So then what _do_ they do now?"

"They're in the service industry, and that's all I'm going to tell you. I believe I've helped you _more_ than enough as it is."

"True, I won't pry. Now, Doumeki and I shall head up to bed, I think." The two men left. Hiro, at the last minute, had seen Doumeki's eyes for the first time and was quite shocked. They were gold.

_No. It couldn't be_, Hiro dismissed the thought. He also had to severely restrain himself. The urge to kick that handsome, stoic face was overwhelming. He was _itching_ to get any sort of emotion on that emotionless mug of his.

When he saw Kurogane come through the door looking thoroughly dissatisfied, he couldn't help himself.

"What's the matter?" He asked barely containing a smile.

Kurogane glared bitterly at him.

"She wasn't there."

"No? Perhaps you should check out that clothing store tomorrow afternoon."

"What?"

Hiro smiled, but didn't say anymore as he walked past Kurogane, who handed the key back to him. And for the second time that night, Hiro locked up.

~x*x*x*~

Rikuo had lain awake the entire night. How could he possibly sleep? The barkeeper told him that Kazahaya was in the hospital, but other than a mention of some sort of "condition"…he really didn't know what was wrong with Kazahaya.

So, at exactly ten o'clock he headed out the door of the tavern, and slowly made his way to the hospital. He should have been thrilled to see Kazahaya again, but he was afraid. Afraid that Kazahaya was comatose…or worse.

Inevitably, he arrived at the reception desk of the hospital.

"I'm looking for a Kazahaya Kudo."

The nurse gave him a sad look.

"Are you a relative or important person?"

"Yes," Rikuo voice cracked with worry, "is he alright?"

The nurse got up from behind the desk.

"If you'll come with me. I'll take you to him."

"Thanks," Rikuo managed.

The nurse led him down a hallway and then another hallway, where she finally stopped in front of a door.

"Take as much time as you need," She said giving him a small, pitying smile.

Rikuo entered the room, now fearing the worst. He took one look at the deathly still body on the bed, and collapsed to the floor. If not for the machines hooked up to Kazahaya…Rikuo would have thought him dead. He wanted to cry.

A doctor came in, and saw the man on the floor. The doctor felt a surge of sympathy as he gained the man's attention.

"Sir…if you don't mind my asking, how are you related to Kudo-san?"

"…uh. Well."

"There's no judgment here."

"Roommate. Comrade. Best friend."

"Where things…intimate…between you two? If not…I'm afraid I can't relay any information…" she explained, patting down her long blonde hair.

Rikuo winced. "We…_were_ intimate…had only just gotten to that…when he disappeared."

The doctor smiled, apologetic. "I see. Kudo-san…went mentally unstable a few months back. He'd been sick at the time, down with pneumonia, I believe. His employer was quite worried."

"His employer?"

"Yes, Hiro-san. That kind gentleman who owns the tavern a few blocks away."

Rikuo immediately felt bitter. He'd get that bastard back eventually.

"What happened?"

"According to Hiro-san, Kudo-san…collapsed and went into a seizure-like state, muttering incoherent things. When he arrived here, the ramblings turned to violence and we were forced to sedate him. When he calmed down…he said something quite troubling…and he's been like this ever since."

"…Troubling…?"

"It sounded like a message of sorts…so before I tell you, can I have your name?"

"Himura. Rikuo Himura."

"Well, Himura-san, his message was addressed to you."

"_Me_?" Rikuo blinked. He'd thought for sure that…

"He said: 'Sorry Rikuo…looks like I'll disappear after all.'"

Rikuo sat in the chair next to Kazahaya's bed, and put his head in his hands.

The doctor regarded him sadly, and then she left to leave the two in peace.

~x*x*x*~

The captain had all his pirates, albeit a few missing—wait…a few missing? He bellowed.

"WHERE IS KUROGANE AND HIMURA?"

Hiro, back behind the bar again, chuckled.

"Off searching. What, don't tell me you didn't think they go?"

"Keep…" Rocky growled, "You told them something didn't you?"

"I only gave what you paid for: information." The barkeeper shrugged.

"Where. Are. They?"

Hiro sighed. Some pirates were just no fun. "One is down at Piffle Clothing, the other is at the hospital. I suggest you leave the latter alone for a while, though."

"The _hospital_? Who?"

"Rikuo. And he's visiting."

Rocky gaped. "He…was too late…?"

Hiro turned grim and closed his eyes. "I said to leave him be for awhile, didn't I?"

Doumeki came down the stairs last. Hiro had to resist the urge to yell at the bloody idiot for making his comrades wait. But, if he did that, his whole façade as a tavern owner would crumble to nothing. He also had to try very, _very_ hard not to look at his twin. He couldn't allow himself to be the one who tied him down, not when he'd met so many good people and was _free_.

"So where ya'll headed this fine morning?" Hiro grinned.

"Repair the ship," One pirate muttered.

Hiro was about to say something when a particularly irritating fellow barged throw the door.

"Barlow," he hissed, "how many times have I told: I never wanna see your face at this bar again."

The Barlow fellow chuckled, "A bit mad, ay? Can't be helped…only natural I s'pose."

Hiro ground his teeth together, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"_OUT_, Barlow. Now," He snarled.

Barlow, one hand on a wine bottle, raised his hands as if in surrender. He backed up slowly.

"And, Barkeep, watcha gonna do I don't?" Barlow opened his mouth in a sick, twisted smile showing a rotting tooth.

The air around Hiro crackled with magic power. Fai, all the way upstairs, had felt the pulse, was on his feet, down the stairs, and grabbing Hiro's shoulders before you could say "shit".

"Hiro! Hiro-san, please calm down!" and whispered in the owner's ear "_your magic is peeling off the glamour spell I put on you._"

Hiro immediately relaxed, but was still furious at the man before him.

"Want the kid back? Give me back the glass."

Hiro's eyes widened as comprehension flooded his features. Fai understood instantly as well.

"Barlow…_what have you done_?"

"The glass, chum. His string could break at any moment." The man smiled evilly.

"Hiro, don't even think about it," Fai warned, "you _knew_ of the sacrifice. Don't waste it."

Hiro gave a sad smile to the blonde. "Before I give it to you, Barlow, release the kid." Hiro sighed weakly.

Barlow harrumphed triumphantly. "I knew you'd see things my way." He waved his hand, a magic circle appearing. He muttered something and the circle broke. "Now. The glass, chum."

"Fai, NOW!" Fai jumped over the counter, cast a spell, and the man was out like a light.

"Thanks, Fai. Also…mind editing his memories, a bit? And…give him an urge," Hiro winked.

Fai smirked. "Send him out of town?"

"You know me so well."

Fai chuckled.

Hiro looked up and saw the group of pirates staring.

"Uhm…well, that's awkward. Hmm explanation…explanation…yeah, I got nothing. You, Fai?"

Fai shook his head.

"You got nothin'? That sure as hell wasn't nothin'!" Rocky yelled.

Hiro winced. "_That_ was Barlow. An evil wizard who'd sacrifice anything to satisfy his own greed, even if that meant killing people."

Rocky sensed he wouldn't get any more details than that.

Hiro came out from behind the bar and set a looking glass in the man's bag.

"It's useless now, anyways. He can't do anymore damage with it. Might as well let him have it," he told Fai.

"Should we seal his powers?"

Hiro groaned, "And be more in debt to Yuuko? I'd rather not."

Fai giggled.

The door to the tavern slammed open. Hiro blinked.

"Shit." Just the person he'd been hoping wouldn't arrive.

"WATANUKI, WHAT DID YOU DO?" Kazahaya screeched.

Hiro grimaced, and stuck a finger in his ear. They really were two peas in pod. Three, if you counted his twin.

"I think you know exactly what I did," Hiro sighed again for the umpteenth time that day.

Kazahaya sizzled. Rikuo was behind him, of course, curious as to what was going on.

"You shouldn't have done it!" Kazahaya argued.

This made Hiro angry. "You really think I'd just leave you to die?"

"IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!"

"NO! It wasn't! Besides, the creep came crawling back here! That means he broke his side of the deal!" Hiro shouted.

"Did you give it to him?" Kazahaya's voice was suddenly as cold as ice.

Hiro averted his gaze.

"You did, didn't you? WATANUKI!"

"Now, now, Kudo-kun…the glass no longer had power," Fai said, trying to be the mediator, "and we're going to get him to leave. He won't come back this time."

"That's not the point, Fai-san! The point is: you didn't trust me," He glared at Hiro.

"That's not—"

"IT IS! I was so close to severing the source, but you interfered and it pulled me back!"

"YOU WERE DYING, DAMMIT!" Hiro yelled, covering his eyes with a hand.

Kazahaya's back straightened and his eyes widened. "Wh-what?"

"Three months," Hiro whispered, "_that's_ how long you've been asleep. When Himura-san went to see you…you were on the edge. How do you think I felt? Knowing your heart could give out at any second?" Hiro sank into a chair. "I couldn't do it…I couldn't let you die. I'm sorry."

Kazahaya stood there stunned. And then gave a small, gentle smile.

"Thank you."

Hiro snapped his head up, shocked. He hadn't expected to be forgiven so easily. Unbeknownst to him Doumeki had quietly been pondering the situation in the corner. He seemed to be the only one who found something odd about the conversation. He'd said his name was Watanabe, right? So why, then, did Kazahaya call him "Watanuki"?

~x*x*x*~

**A/N: oooooohh cliffhanger. tehe :P busted "Hiro"! XD**

**ehm. well. more dialogue. *sigh* i really need to fix that. chapter three is...eh...it's a work in progress let's just say that shall we?**

**so ya'll whatcha think? you like you like? REVIEW! ^^**

**oh~ HAPPY OLYMPICS! WOOOT GO USA! (and Japan because i'm part japanese. not really but all my fangirls out there understand riiiight~?)**


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

**A/N: I didn't expect to get so many followers *is touched* lol. i love you guys and. PLEASE REVIEW. they inspire me ^^**

**those who DID review~**

**rui: Thank you ^^ of course i shall continue! :D**

**Skysword: lol glad you noticed. i was hoping someone would catch that :) Doumeki. well. i'll have him do interesting things soon. :D**

**sunshineandmoonlight: hehe ^^ indeed :D. Too bad Japan got 11th on the medal count :/**

~x*x*x*~

Kazahaya had been traversing the man's mind in search of a way to rid him of his "darkness". It'd been a mission, and Kazahaya was more than willing to do it. He didn't know how long he'd been looking for any sort of kindness in the man. It could have been days, weeks even. Watanuki was sure to be worried by now, Kazahaya sighed. Rikuo…memories of them had been plaguing him ever since he'd "left" the hospital bed and told the nurse his message to Rikuo. The only reason why he'd said it in the first place was because of the "darkness" in Barlow's heart had swept him away with such force that he didn't think he'd be able to find his way back.

Rikuo…

"_Kazahaya! Come on, we're leaving this town already!" Rikuo had called out to him._

_Kazahaya had smiled. The next town they were going to be was small, but it had many supplies that other places didn't carry. The best part about the town was that no one seemed to know what treasures they had._

"_Rikuo, how long are we gonna be pirates?"_

"_Until we find somewhere to settle down."_

_Kazahaya smiled at that. Even now Rikuo was still searching for Tsukiko. It made him jealous some times to see the love of his life fawning over a woman. But, it was the same for Rikuo, right? He had Kei after all. _

_Lately though, ever since he'd found that strange scale on the beach, he'd been seeing visions of the future. None were ever "happy" either, and most of them involved him somehow dying. He hadn't discovered what the cause of his death was, but once he did he knew that he'd do whatever it took to keep from dying. He couldn't leave Rikuo all alone. Not after they'd become official._

_That night, aboard the ship, Kazahaya dreamt and he knew now his cause of death. He cried silently into his arms. It was because he'd chosen to stay with Rikuo. Because of his selfishness, he would eventually hurt Rikuo. So he made up his mind. He would leave Rikuo before he could hurt him. The next town, he promised himself, he would definitely leave._

_They docked at the small town of Starlit. Kazahaya breathed in the air: so clean and pure, with just a dash of ocean. He loved that air. The crew disembarked and followed the captain to the supply house and the market. Once in a while they might go to a clothing shop, but other than that…they never really did anything. It'd be nice, Kazahaya thought, if we went to a bar just once._

_This time was different. The supply house was closed and the market was all sold out of the ingredients they needed. The ship was going under some repairs and upgrades, so they couldn't sleep there. It was decided. They'd be sleeping in an inn._

_After asking around, they found a suitable place called The Marksman. Apparently, it also doubled as a tavern. Kazahaya was delighted to see that there was a very friendly atmosphere and a happy buzz going around the patrons. They were all laughing and talking with smiles on their face. Most of the tavern was wood: the floors, the legs of all the barstools, half of the walls (paneling), and the ceiling. The other half of the walls had wallpaper. It was a beautiful scarlet color with gold thrown in. Almost like tie-dye. The chairs were metal with red plastic seat coverings, while the barstools had gold plastic._

_Kazahaya found the place to be very homey and heart-warming. The crew had seated themselves at a large circular wooden table, but there wasn't room for Kazahaya and a couple others so they sat at the bar._

"_Hello, fellows, what can I get for you?" A kind looking man with dark red hair and brown eyes asked._

"_What's local?" Kazahaya asked._

_The man smiled and set out a drink before Kazahaya. It was white in color and warm to the touch. It was served in a shallow, round wooden cup. Kazahaya took a sip._

"_This is amazing! What is it?"_

"_Saké," the bartender smiled, "Glad you like it. What's your name?"_

_At that moment Kazahaya realized that this man was his age. "Kazahaya Kudo."_

_The man smiled genuinely, a closed-eye one. "Hiro. But you may call me Watanuki, if you like."_

_Kazahaya beamed. "Hey, how old are you?"_

"_Eighteen," The man replied, "you?"_

"_The same age!" He announced excitedly._

_Watanuki smiled again. But, then Kazahaya noticed he was looking at something behind him. Kazahaya turned. He spotted Rikuo glaring. Kazahaya almost laughed. It was so funny to see him being jealous over nothing._

"_He's been glaring at me for a while now," Watanuki admitted. "You know him?"_

_Kazahaya blushed bright red. "Y-yeah. Promise not to weird out?"_

_Watanuki laughed, "Sure."_

"_He's my…m-my b-b-boyfriend." Kazahaya covered his face with his hands, turning an even brighter red._

_Watanuki laughed again, "I thought so. You better go talk to him, he looks mad."_

_Kazahaya nodded and got up from the stool. Rikuo did the same and met him half way._

"_What do you think you're doing?" Rikuo hissed._

"_Making a friend," Kazahaya responded innocently._

"_Looked more like flirting to me," Rikuo snarled._

_Kazahaya patted his lover's arm, chuckling._

"_Nothing to worry about, Rikuo. You'll always be the only guy for me."_

_It was Rikuo's turn to blush now. He slid his arms around Kazahaya's waist, holding him close. "Barkeep! Where are the rooms?"_

_Watanuki laughed and threw a key at Rikuo, who caught it, one arm still hugging Kazahaya._

_Rikuo then threw Kazahaya over his shoulder and ascended the stairs. He was going to make love to Kazahaya tonight for being so damn cute. (1)_

_Kazahaya woke to dawn streaming in through the curtains. The bed was a mess: sheets were curled around legs and half on the floor, feathers littered everywhere, there were also some other things on the sheets he needed to clean later, but for right now he was in a dazed paradise. He couldn't remember ever feeling so satisfied or content with the world. Rikuo's arm was lying over Kazahaya's stomach and his back was being warmed by Rikuo's muscular chest. He smiled. The minute he remembered what he had to do, however, instantly killed his mood. He gently removed Rikuo's arm and got up from the bed. _

_He almost walked out the door when he saw his stark nakedness. Well, that was a problem. Kazahaya found the shower, cleaned up, and got dressed. He walked over to Rikuo and planted a soft kiss on his love's cheek._

"_Goodbye," he whispered, smiling sadly. _

Kazahaya snapped himself out of the memory. It'd do him no good now to regret things. It was too late for that. So he walked on further, looking for that tiny white light that was proof of the man's goodness. If there was any, that is.

As time passed he again began reminiscing. Like the day he'd found Tsukiko and Kei in that drugstore and had anonymously sent a tip that there was information about her here. Before he left Rikuo, he remembered writing a note saying that he was taking (not stealing) a boat to find a place to settle-down. He'd also written that Rikuo shouldn't worry and that he might come back to Starlit again. The note had been difficult to write as he couldn't stand lying to Rikuo, but…it had to be done.

Just then a small wink of light flickered and then disappeared just as quickly as it had come. But Kazahaya had seen it and was now chasing after it.

The light grew bigger as Kazahaya got closer, but when he heard a shattering sound, he froze.

_He muttered something and the circle broke._

Kazahaya knew something had happened. Kind of hard not to, when a tendril of white smoke was wrapped around your leg and pulling you so fast that you were flying.

Kazahaya gritted his teeth and wondered what he was going to smash into. He certainly didn't expect a blinding light or a blurry face hovering over him.

He blinked. His surroundings were unfamiliar, but familiar. As he slowly came to his senses he realized just where he was. The hospital. In Starlit. Kazahaya's temper flared. He had a nagging suspicion now, of what it was that dragged him back, and it made him angry.

The blurry face came into focus and Kazahaya's eyes widened in surprise.

"Rikuo…?"

"Kazahaya!" Rikuo glomped onto the younger boy and held onto him for dear life.

Kazahaya's breath caught in his throat. "Rikuo…"

"YOU IDIOT! How could you leave me like that?! I thought—" Rikuo's voice broke, "I thought you were dead…! I almost died without you! Don't EVER do that again, you understand me?!"

Kazahaya merely nodded, tears coming to his eyes. Then, he remembered.

He sat up at an amazing speed, ripped out whatever cords were attached (OWWW 2), pushed Rikuo aside, and opened up a drawer to his side. He threw off the hospital garment and got dressed. Afterwards, he rushed out of the hospital with Rikuo in tow. (3)

Kazahaya and Rikuo were sitting on the edge of a bed. The same bed, they had last made love in. Kazahaya was tense with anxiety. He knew it would come any minute now.

"Kazahaya."

He winced. There it was.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Explain, please," Rikuo begged wanting to understand.

"I…I had a vision the night before we came into port."

"And…?"

Kazahaya bit his lip.

"And…I left because…I—I didn't want…I just…"

"Kazahaya!" Rikuo yelled out, impatient.

"I just didn't want to see you get hurt, alright! Happy?" Kazahaya yelled right back.

Rikuo stared at Kazahaya with shock and confusion.

"H-hurt? How would you—? You hurt me by _leaving_, Kazahaya!"

Kazahaya began to cry. "N-no," he sniffled, "you don't understand…!"

"No, I don't! So _help_ me understand, damnit!"

"If I had chosen to stay with you," Kazahaya sobbed, "I-I would have been k-killed…and I…I didn't want you to go through that pain…" Tears streamed down his face.

Rikuo sat dumbfounded and speechless. Kazahaya put his hands on his face and shook silently, still crying.

~x*x*x*~

Hiro sighed. He'd seen the couple head up the stairs over an hour ago. He'd heard yelling, too. Things weren't looking good.

He looked up. There that bastard was. Again. Staring like some creepy stalker. What the hell was up with him?

Hiro glared. "If you have something to say, say it."

Doumeki frowned. "Just questioning my hearing."

"Huh?" Hiro looked at him questioningly.

"I could have sworn I heard you say your name was 'Watanabe'."

"You heard right…?" Hiro furrowed his eyebrows.

"Kudo called you 'Watanuki', didn't he?"

Hiro paled. _Shit_. "No, no. You definitely misheard. He called me 'Watanabe'. I'm sure of it."

Doumeki's frown deepened. He had great eyes, but he couldn't recall his ears ever being hard of hearing. Was the bartender lying…?

"Hmm…"

Hiro was irked. He hated that simple, irritating word: "hmm". Such a frustrating one syllable word.

~x*x*x*~

**A/N: Happy end of Olympics everybody! WOOT WOOT! USA WON GOLD! :D **

**idk when i'll be updating next and skool starts in a coupla weeks, so if it takes a while I apologize. Again please please please review. like i said: they make me happy :)**

**HOPE YOU ENJOYED! C:**


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

**~Review Responses~!**

**Well. I'm starting to think some of you guys didn't read ch. 3….**

**sunshineandmoonlight: darlin, please. ALL authors have a sadistic side. And :D muahaha you shall have to read to find out! :D**

**Mena Madvin: yes of course i plan on continuing it! :D thank you so much for the compliments! :DD**

**A/N: ROFL did you guys catch the whole "great eyes" joke last chapter? Hahaha funny stuff man. I swear I crack myself up. ****Also for some reason chapter 3 didn't get posted when I put it on there oh…2ish…1ish weeks ago? Idk I lost count(I know I did tho). and i am sooooo sorry for not posting this on time...i've had a buttload of homework and i had no time at all to update. so! here ya'll are!**

**Oh. Reminder: Reviews = happy author and faster updates! :D**

**Anyway. Warnings: An angry Watanuki. Nuff said.**

**ONWARD!**

~x*x*x*~

Watanuki shifted on his feet. His hair and other things that had been changed were back to normal. And the same spell wouldn't be usable for about another month or so. He didn't know why, but appearance spells were odd like that.

He was quite perplexed as to what to do. He really wanted to see Himawari, but he knew Syaoran and the pirate crew were still at the bar. He couldn't avoid him forever. Still, Watanuki had made up his mind to not be involved with Syaoran. To let him be free.

It was decided. He'd go to work at Yuuko's, stay late, and return home well past closing hours. He may not be able to avoid Syaoran forever, but he sure as hell was going to avoid him for as long as possible.

The workday was slow. He didn't have very many chores to do, and Yuuko was being undemanding. For once. He swore that woman was being this way on purpose. Just to make him go see his twin. Well, too bad for her, because he was staying. Whether she liked it or not, and that was final.

Yuuko sighed. This was probably about the fifth time Watanuki had cleaned the kitchen.

"Watanuki. Scrub this place anymore and the next thing that comes off the sponge will be tile."

He groaned. "Yuuko-san. Why are you being so _reasonable_ today?"

Yuuko smirked and raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression you wanted me to be reasonable."

"Any other time than this. I know you're doing it on purpose, Yuuko-san," Watanuki whined.

Yuuko smiled big and said cheerily, "Just go see him already! The sooner you get it over with the sooner he can be on his way."

He sighed. "I doubt he'll leave when he finally meets me. Syaoran will definitely want to stay."

"Anyone would, wouldn't they? He's your brother after all."

Watanuki didn't reply to that. Instead, he picked up a duster and headed for the storage room.

"Wait." Yuuko commanded.

Watanuki froze and turned to face her.

"Maru, Moro, please remove Watanuki from the shop."

Watanuki eyes enlarged to the size of saucers. And with that he was thrown out of the shop.

"Thanks, Yuuko. Glad to see you understand." He whispered icily.

He rose from where his butt was planted firmly on the hard ground, replaced his fallen "blind-man glasses", and walked grumpily away from the shop.

The roads at this time were always busy. The cobblestone clacked beneath his feet with very step he took. Women and children walked hurriedly by, probably on some urgent errand. He knew this road would eventually pass the docks, so he purposely took the longer route that went through the town market.

Not such a bright idea, as it turns out.

He collided with a tall man with dark hair cut short.

_Shit._

The second to last person he didn't want to see. Doumeki.

Watanuki, being as light as he was, fell on his butt. Great. His darkened lenses were at the very tip of his nose, crooked, and came off of one ear. He moaned inwardly. This was just not his day.

He stood, brushed himself off, while Doumeki stood there like an idiot.

Watanuki pushed the frames back up. He glared at Doumeki.

"_Excuse_ _me_, oaf." He hissed.

Doumeki deadpanned. "You should watch where you're going."

Watanuki bristled. For crying out loud, he was "blind" how in the hell is he supposed to "watch" anything?!

He gritted his teeth. "Sorry for being blind," he growled.

Doumeki lifted a brow, a tiny miniscule centimeter, before it rested back in place.

"You're the blind man?"

Watanuki trembled with rage. He hadn't technically met him before, and being "blind" he would never have exactly _seen_ him either.

"No," his voice dripped with sarcasm, "I'm the homeless one. Of course I'm blind, idiot!"

Doumeki nodded absently and grabbed Watanuki's wrist.

"Huh? W-wait! What—what are you doing, oaf?!" Doumeki dragged Watanuki down the street.

When Watanuki finally realized where they were headed, he struggled even more.

"Damnit, you overgrown lug, let me go!" He pulled and yanked, but alas Doumeki was much too strong for Watanuki.

Doumeki gripped tighter.

"Damn you! LET GO!"

They were nearing the bar now. Watanuki could smell the booze on the wind. He sighed and gave up resisting. They were here already. It's not like he could r—the grip on his hand loosened.

Watanuki smiled devilishly. With one hard yank, Watanuki was free. He spun around and took off at full speed ahead. Doumeki chased after him, of course, he was slowly gaining on Watanuki.

Watanuki skidded to a halt and dashed into an alleyway. It wasn't a path he often took, but he at least had a vague idea. Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, it started raining.

Watanuki was jogging, because it was simply too dangerous to be running around in mud. He fell anyway. He slipped, landed on his back, had the breath knocked out of him, and his glasses went flying. He stood slowly and began fast walking down the alley. He'd heard Doumeki not far behind.

He cursed. His terrible sight made everything blurry. He could barely see five feet in front of him. Watanuki walked into a pole. Scratch that. He could barely see _three_ feet in front of him.

Watanuki felt around for anything. A wall, ladder, pole—anything that might help him identify where he was.

A chill crawled up his back. He knew now. He had mistakenly taken a wrong turn somewhere. Now, he was in the mafia's territory. He sensed people surrounding him. Not good. He took a step back. One man from behind him grabbed hold of an arm. Watanuki yelped in surprise.

"Hey…isn't this the blind dude?"

"Yeah…what you doin here, man?"

"Uh…I got lost." Watanuki mumbled timidly.

The gangsters guffawed. "You believe it, the blind man here actually got lost!"

One of the men facing Watanuki waved a hand in front of his face.

"See that, cripple?"

Actually, he hadn't. But he didn't want to say anything to egg them on, so he kept quiet.

The man who had waved his hand backed up and laughed.

"Listen, bastard, Boss said if we ever found ourselves a cripple we should bring em home, understand?"

Watanuki rolled his eyes. Figures. Always pickin' on the weaker man. What was wrong with people these days? No manners at all.

"Good for you. Can I go now?" Probably not the best thing to say to men who wanted to kidnap you…

The man who waved exploded and grabbed Watanuki around the neck, choking him.

"Fuck you," the man spat.

Watanuki gasped and coughed. He managed to pull together two grunted words with a twisted smile: "Nice talk." He snickered.

The man squeezed harder, enraged. "Asshole…you're really asking for it, you know," the man growled.

"Ugh—hah—LET GO." The words came out strangled and weak. Suddenly, being reunited with his brother didn't seem quite as bad.

Growling came from behind Watanuki and he wondered what it was…

"Let. Him. Go." A furious hiss demanded.

Watanuki's eyes widened in recognition; he'd know that annoyingly stoic voice anywhere.

"D-Dou…meki…" Watanuki choked, tears brimming on the lower lids.

This spited Doumeki further, seeing as the other male instantly drew his sword.

"Release him." His was voice dark, cold, and very intimidating.

The gangster, surprisingly, released Watanuki to his feet, but collapsed to the ground gasping and coughing, holding his throat tenderly.

Doumeki rushed over and inspected his wounds. Then, unexpectedly, he took Watanuki's chin between his forefinger and thumb and stared deep into his eyes. Watanuki blushed.

"Your eyes…hmm…they're pretty."

Watanuki's blush deepened and he began sputtering.

"Wh-wha-what? N-no they're n-not!" He denied, flabbergasted.

Doumeki smirked. "How well can you see?" he asked, now concerned.

"Uh…right now? Not at all…why?"

Doumeki frowned. "Tch. You've been running blind for that long?"

"What? I've been running blind this whole damn time!"

Doumeki growled and picked up the mage bridal-style.

"O-oi! Wh-What! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Carrying you." He replied simply.

"I know that! But WHY?!"

"You're blind."

"…" Watanuki just didn't have anything to say to that. How unfortunate, he grumbled to himself.

"…" The silence dragged on.

"Why did you come after me?" Watanuki asked as he was carried down the damp and narrow alleyway back to his shop.

"…Because Syaoran deserves to see his brother."

Watanuki gritted his teeth. A shadow fell across his face. "It'd be better…better if he didn't."

Doumeki looked down at the pale man in his arms. "Why?"

"…He…because he also deserves to be free."

Doumeki stared at him for a long time, not understanding his words. From then on it seemed that there walk would be in silence, until they reached the door of his pub.

"I found your glasses." Doumeki then took it upon himself to gently slide the dark lenses on to his nose.

Watanuki blushed as bright as a red tomato. Doumeki, for once, found himself smiling. It was small and barely noticeable, but a smile it was. And it looked gorgeous on him, even if Watanuki wouldn't admit it to the taller man.

"I'll let you down now."

"Finally," Watanuki mumbled.

Doumeki smirked and opened the door. All chatter ceased at their arrival. Syaoran, unfortunately, was present. He stood and stared at Watanuki with disbelief in his eyes.

Watanuki gave him a painful smile. "Hey. Syaoran-kun."

Syaoran was away from the chair and hugging Watanuki before you could say "move".

Watanuki, surprised, raised his arms. But, he didn't know if he should return the embrace. It'd been so long…and he couldn't resist anymore. He hugged his twin back.

Syaoran squeezed Watanuki tighter, as if to make sure he was actually there and not some sort of dream.

"Kimihiro. Kimihiro." Syaoran breathed. It sounded as if he were on the verge of tears. Watanuki smiled gently.

"You've grown so tall, Syaoran-kun."

Syaoran laughed with tears in his eyes. "Of course! But you still got taller somehow…little brother." He whispered jokingly.

"Haha! Indeed I did." The two pulled away and locked eyes with each other; they had a lot of catching up to do.

"Kimi…are you really blind?" Syaoran asked, concerned.

"Only in one eye. The other one is really weak by itself, though."

Syaoran sighed in relief, but it was mild. After all, being blind in one eye still meant he was blind. Even if only just partially.

Over the next several hours Syaoran and Watanuki got up to date with each other's lives. Syaoran told him of life at the sea, all the adventures he'd been on, and how…he'd met somebody. Naturally, Watanuki already knew of the lucky lady: Sakura. Watanuki told him his secret of actually being the owner under the condition that Syaoran tell nobody. Once they finally knew enough about each other, they parted ways with the promise that they'd definitely talk more tomorrow.

~x*x*x*~

**A/N: yippee~ done! Though this one was probably shorter than the others…oh well… Now….*smiles maliciously* who wants some KuroFai? :D**

**Review and tell me! Who knows…I just might put a teaser-not-so-lemony-lemon in there. xD like I did with RikuKaza LOL hehe :D doesn't mean I can't make it steamy though. MUAHAHAHA. So~ REVIEW! Please?**

**Hope you enjoyed! Love you guys! ^^**


	5. Chapter 5

**Review Responses~! **

**Sunshineandmoonlight: muahahaha yes indeed. Lol "like allen. From -man". AHAHAHA I LOVE ALLEN! XD **

**Yess91: THANK CHU MY DEAAAAR! ^^ -does happy dance- **

**A/N: So, my lovelies, here you are~ the 5****th**** chapter in 100 Days! (…LOL reading that again…it came out rather ironically xDD)**

**Enjoy~! :D ( -means I know somethin you don't know~ XD muahaha :D)**

~x*x*x*~

Fai skipped across the floor of his bedroom. He hadn't felt this good in _ages_. And it was all thanks to a certain tall, red-eyed pirate. Fai giggled at the memories of his teasing of the man.

_About 3 Days Ago…_

"Play nice, Fai-san."

"Is that permission?" Fai waggled his eyebrows, "I'll take it."

With that, Fai was off to torment the poor tall man with spiky black hair and red eyes. Fai grinned a big Cheshire grin.

Kurogane instantly felt a chill run up his spine. He had a feeling his day would soon take a turn for the worse.

"Hello, good pirate," Fai said popping up behind the tall swordsman.

Kurogane jumped. "What the hell! Don't go popping out of nowhere, you damn magician!"

Fai giggled, "Now, now, that's not nice to say. We've only just met. I think you should tell me your name before you give me a pet-name." He teased.

Kurogane spluttered, and gave up. He sighed. "It's Kurogane."

Fai wrinkled his nose, "What a mouthful of a name you have, Kuro-puu!"

Kurogane's breath hitched and his temper flared. "DON'T CALL ME BY THAT! IT'S KUROGANE, DAMNIT!"

Fai, was surprised at the reaction, but was still smiling nonetheless. If you had a look in his brain you'd probably see it as an amazing opportunity to get under the guy's skin. It'd been such a long time since he had "played" like this.

"Then how about Kuro-rin? Kuro-tan? Kuro-chi? Kuro-pin?" Kurogane growled and threw up his fists.

"THAT'S IT, MAGE! I'M COMIN' FOR YOU!" Fai squealed with laughter and ran away in the other direction.

"RAWWRRR! GET BACK HERE!"

Fai, still laughing incredibly hard, had difficulty running away very fast because he was holding his sides.

"No, no, no, Kuro-wan-wan, I don't think so~!" One look at the pirate's face was all it took for Fai to drop to the floor in fits of hysterical giggles.

Suddenly, this is when Fai's magic decided to be unreasonable and sent him into the world of dreams. He was out instantly.

_~x*x*x*~_

_Fai stood at the edge of the vision blanketed in darkness and invisible to everything. He saw himself laughing at a blurred figure in the same room. They appeared to be very close. Fai could tell, because the blurry one had a smile on his face. Even though the actions seemed to indicate the figure was angry. _

_The figure had his arms stretched out in a menacingly way, as if to snatch up his future self to shut him up. Future-Fai leapt up from the floor and dashed around the room, avoiding the shadow figure, but still laughing uncontrollably. _

**_"ro-daddy!"_**

_That's all Fai managed to hear. But now he knew, at least, that the blurry figure was male._

**_"FAAAIII…" _**_The voice seemed to threaten, even though he had a large, happy smile on his face._

_The blurry man lunged for Future-Fai and caught him. The man lifted him up and twirled the blonde around, then he tackled Fai onto the bed._

**_"Shitty mage, you done teasing now?"_**_The gruff voice asked Future-Fai, as the man placed his arms by the blonde head in order to hold himself up._

**_"I don't know, ro-sama." _**_Future-Fai grinned. __**"It depends. What's my punishment?" **__He asked in a seducing whisper._

_The blurry figure growled deep in his throat. __**"Don't tempt me, stupid mage."**_

At that point, Fai jolted awake. He was at the inn still, though upstairs now. He briefly wondered who had carried him there when a deep voice said:

"You're awake."

The voice sounded a hell of a lot like the one in his vision. This, Fai decided, was not a good thing. The last thing he needed was a lover, let alone a pirate lover, and a dude, to boot. He sighed. The cryptic thoughts weren't going to get him anywhere.

"Why, if it isn't Kurgy-poo! Did you carry me up here? Thank you~" The blonde giggled.

The tall man bristled, but replied, "Yes I did, stupid mage. What made you pass out so randomly like that?"

"My my~ is Kurgs worried about me~? It was nothing!"

"Nothing, my ass. C'mon, mage, you ain't foolin' anybody."

"Aww~ but Kuro-pii, if something was wrong I would tell you!" Fai responded cheerily.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! IT'S KUROGANE DAMNIT!"

Fai laughed boisterously. Really, Kurogane was _far_ too much fun. It was just so incredibly amusing to see him get so worked up over just a few nicknames…that Fai couldn't help himself.

Fai got up from the bed and walked down the stairs to join everyone, apparently Kurogane followed him out.

Fai smiled to himself. That was amusing: Kurogane following him around. Almost like…a puppy dog.

"Is Kuro-puppy following his new master~?" Fai baited. He laughed quietly, knowing how ballistic the reaction would be.

"P-puppy? Master? GRRRRRRRRR! DAMN YOU, MAGE! I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!" Kurogane went full-speed ahead, fully intending on capturing the mage and wringing his neck.

Fai went hysterical with laughter. He dodged Kurogane's hands several times, and weaved in and out of the tables. Fai's entire body was trembling with giggles, especially since he knew that most of the tavern had heard Fai's question.

The pirates over in their usual spot were roaring with laughter. They were pounding their fists on the table and holding their stomachs. Fai laughed harder. Kurogane's friends had _definitely_ heard.

"Oh, but Kuro-puppy," Fai had to gasp for breath, "you are still following me~!" Fai burst out laughing again.

Kurogane's face turned purple. Probably from embarrassment and rage. Fai couldn't tell which, though it was most likely both. At Fai's last comment Kurogane's fellow pirates started hooting and falling out of their chairs from laughing so hard.

"Maaaaaaggeeee…" Kurogane hissed menacingly. There was an evil look in his eyes.

Fai couldn't resist. "Awww~ is Kuro-puppy trying to look scawy? I'm afraid that impossible, Kuro-woof! Puppies are far too adorable!" Fai's body wracked with giggles that he desperately tried to keep inside.

The whole tavern laughed. Poor Kurogane. He would probably never be able to live this down. Kurogane's face lit up brighter than a tomato at all the snickering. This was just not his day. God, he decided, was finally punishing him for being a vagabond. He would do anything now to appease said god—if it meant ridding himself of this wretched embarrassment.

~x*x*x*~

Fai tore himself from the memory with an amused smile on his face. It was one moment he would never, ever forget. It was, after all, a memory that was _happy_. And he needed those few shining moments to pull him through particularly dark days.

Fai smiled. He walked out into the hallway to be greeted by Watanuki.

"Watanuki!" Fai smiled big.

Watanuki frowned. "Fai…"

Uh oh. When Watanuki sounded like that it meant he knew what you were up to. And wasn't very happy about it.

Shit. "Yes, Watanuki-san?" Fai smiled brilliantly.

"Don't smile when you don't mean it, Fai. We have a problem."

"Problem?" Fai licked his lips. Yep, he definitely didn't like where this was going.

"Yes. That bastar—eh-hem—I mean _Doumeki-san_ might have found out my secret."

Fai's eyes widened. Oh dear. That WAS a problem. "What are you going to do?"

Watanuki bit the tip of his thumbnail, a vein started to show on his forehead. "Nothing. If I react he'll know for certain."

"Hyuu~ that's quite a problem, what do you want to do, Watanuki-san?"

Watanuki closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "…If I had a choice…I would be on that pirate ship when it departs."

"You have a choice," Fai said gently.

Watanuki gave a small, sad smile. "You know I don't, Fai. I can't leave, or this world will break." Watanuki looked up at the ceiling with a bitter grin, his eyes distant.

Fai frowned. "What if I go in your place?"

Watanuki turned his gaze to Fai; he was shocked. "You would do that?"

Fai smiled. "Of course I would."

Suddenly, the air tensed. Magic energy spiked between the two mages and they both experienced a rather interesting spectacle…

_Fai grinned up at the man two floors above him. Kurogane was hanging over the crow's nest and smirking at Fai._

_"Oi, mage! Get up here!"_

_"Why should I do that?" _

_"Because! You'll be sorry if you don't." A maniacal twist shone in Kurogane's eyes. Fai got shivers down his spine. He blushed._

_Fai hesitantly went up the climbing ropes. _

The two mages snapped out of their trances.

"Well," they said together, "that was odd."

**TBC**

~x*x*x*~

**A/N: so i know this is a bit shorter than the other chappies, but -shrugs- oh well. that was a nice place to end it so end it i did. now~ onto business. I really love pleasing my audience but i can't exactly know how ya'll are feelin when i don't get friendly feedback... so i won't post the next chapter unless i get AT LEAST 5 reviews! ;) shouldn't be too hard right? ... right? D:**


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